en.Wedoany.com Reported - Direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity is accelerating globally, with African mobile operators having announced 32 partnerships with satellite providers to extend this service beyond their mobile networks. The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), in its latest market assessment, highlights a clear trend of African operators partnering with satellite providers to launch D2D services, with 32 partnerships publicly announced.
Specific collaborations include Airlink's partnership with Starlink across 14 markets, which recently completed data and messaging service tests in Kenya. AST SpaceMobile has partnered with Axian Telecom, which operates in 11 African markets, as well as with Vodacom. Lynk has conducted service trials with MTN in Ghana and South Africa.
Joe Gardiner, market analyst at CCS Insight and a member of the GSA research team, stated during a webinar that operators in 18 countries have launched satellite D2D services. He believes the technology is still in its early stages but has indeed achieved global reach.
GSA research shows that 123 D2D partnerships have been publicly announced worldwide, of which 23 have launched services, 27 are under evaluation, testing, or trial, and the remaining 73 are in the planning stage.
In terms of the number of supplier partnerships, Starlink leads with 99, followed by AST SpaceMobile (44), Amazon Leo (30), Eutelsat Group (29), Lynk (21), SES Group (19), and Skylo (10). Additionally, Omnispace (5), Hughes (4), Viasat Group (4), OQ Technology (3), Sateliot (3), Iridium (2, currently being acquired by Rocket Lab), Rassvet (2), and Tiantong (2) are also on the list.
Many mobile operators are adopting a multi-supplier strategy, with Orange being a typical example. The group has established D2D partnerships with France's Skylo, AST SpaceMobile, Satellite Connect Europe (a joint venture between Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile for space infrastructure), and Starlink, while also maintaining contacts with Eutelsat and OneWeb, Intelsat, and Telesat.
Gardiner noted that most of these partnerships use terrestrial operators' spectrum, at least initially, as exemplified by T-Mobile's arrangement with Starlink in the United States. He also pointed out that industry interest in Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum is growing, as it supports a 3GPP-compatible, globally harmonized, and standardized D2D approach, which will also underpin a broader device ecosystem. The GSA has already counted 46 devices supporting MSS, although not all are technology-neutral. He stated: "There is still a long way to go, but we see the ecosystem evolving, and hopefully as we move forward, with all devices being compatible with 3GPP Release 17 or later, there will be more solutions with greater interoperability between satellite constellations." He added that more work is needed in this area, as the direction is clearly towards adopting a 3GPP standards-based approach using spectrum bands allocated for MSS, such as the L-band and S-band.
At the government level, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have announced proposals to allocate licensed MSS spectrum in the 2GHz band. On the commercial side, transactions such as Rocket Lab's acquisition of Iridium, Amazon Leo's acquisition of Globalstar, and Starlink parent company SpaceX's purchase of Echostar frequencies have already taken place.
Gardiner noted that Skylo is currently the only operator truly offering real-time services based on a standards-based approach. Its network is based on the 3GPP standard for Narrowband (NB) NTN and can support next-generation 5G New Radio (NR) NTN, thereby creating what the company calls a "standardized sky." Skylo does not own its own satellites or spectrum but relies on GEO satellite operator partners such as EchoStar, Ligado, Terrestar, and ViaSat.
"Interest from LEO providers in offering a 3GPP standards-based approach is growing," Gardiner concluded.
